Abstract
Purpose.
To examine cognitive responses to a 4-month health promotion program targeting diet and physical activity in recently cohabiting couples.
Design.
A three-group randomized controlled trial: no intervention (Controls), interactive group sessions and mail-outs (Interactive), and one group session followed by mail-outs (Mail).
Setting.
Australian research studies unit.
Subjects.
Seventy-eight of 137 couples cohabiting for <2 years, recruited by advertising, completed the study.
Measures.
Stages of change; health beliefs; self-efficacy; and perceived barriers to change evaluated by questionnaires at baseline, postintervention, and 1-year follow-up. Data were analyzed using mixed models, factor analysis, and linear regression.
Results.
In the Mail group, the perceived importance of barriers to dietary change decreased by 19% at postintervention and 16% at 1-year follow-up; dietary self-efficacy increased by 9% and 3%, respectively. In the Interactive group, the perceived importance of barriers to dietary change decreased by 26% and 20%, and dietary self-efficacy increased by 14% and 12%, respectively. Similar trends for physical activity were not statistically significant. However, changes in self-efficacy and perceived barriers to change significantly predicted dietary and physical activity behaviors. A preponderance of higher socio-economic groups and the proportion of drop-out may have biased results.
Conclusions.
Health promotion using partners' support and targeting diet and physical activity improves associated cognitive variables in couples. Most improvements were greater and more sustained with interactive group sessions.